Every time I would brake, there would be a loud squealing noise that would reverberate off the buildings and let every person within 500 ft know I was slowing down. This was prior to using these salmon-colored brake shoes. I can now brake in silence and without announcing my presence... which means I can continue progressing with my bike-ninja training!
Seriously though, these are good. Kool Stop Supra 2 Bicycle Brake Shoes (Threaded, Salmon)
Every now and again I try out other brake pads (not necessarily cheaper) and I always return to the salmon-colored Kool Stop pads. They are very reliable, have decent wear, do not clog up with aluminum splinters that mar the rim, and simply are the best in wet weather.
These breaks are great. I previously had a worn out pair of weinmann brake pads that needed replacing and a little updating. I shopped around and found these. They threaded in perfectly, were easy to toe in with the included washers. Had to rearrange the spacers to fit in my bracket but that was easy enough. I recommend them to anyone who asks. I've now rode them in all weather, warm, cold, wet, or dry and they still have the stopping power.
My stock brake pads on my road bike hardly gave me any stopping power, left black marks all over my rim, and made a skidding sound while stopping. (No the skidding was not from the tires). After installing the kool stops (with the given instructions), the braking power increased greatly, and all the problems from my old brake shoes were gone. These are advertised as a universal road bike pad, and yes, they did work on my road bike. However, these are not a perfect fit for dual pivot brakes.
The problems I had were with brake calipers that look like these: BRAKE BIKE ROAD ORIGIN8 CALIPER DUAL 39-49mm FRT BLACK
If you run dual pivot calipers you may face these problems:
1. Because of the curved washer design, the brake pads will be unusually close to the rim, even at the minimum spacing. You will have to play with the barrel adjuster and adjust the pinch bolt to solve this. The braking modulation/tension (i.e. the feel) may change as you adjust this. The brake arms on my caliper now look like they have lost a lot of tension.
2. Since dual pivots don't need toe-in, you might want to remove the curved washers. However, you cannot do so because the nut that screws onto the brake shoe is a lock nut. You will just need to leave all the hardware on.
3. The brake shoe hardware sticks so far out of the brake arm that it gets in the way of the quick release switch on the brake. While installing these I would recommend not releasing the brake using the quick release lever. Instead just take out your wheel and install the brake shoes. I can still flip the release switch after installing the brakes, but I had to squeeze the brake arms together slightly.
Judging by the size of these brake shoes and the hardware, I would say they are better for V-brakes. If you are running dual pivot brakes and want an item at a similar cost I think the Kool Stop Bicycle Brake Pads (Kool Stop Continental Brake Pads) would be a better fit. If you're willing to spend more money I would suggest the Kool Stop Bicycle Brake Pads with X Pad (Dura-Ace/Ultegra).
These brake pads are legit. They bite down great without any effort at all. Soon as they make contact with the rim they grab on and literally stick to your rim. The color is a little off and look like a dull salmon color instead of bright. The pads seem very durable and made with nice materials instead of the hard stiff rubber most pads are made of. Feels like an eraser but more dense. I wouldn't recommend these for front brakes unless you want your face smashed into the ground. If your rim has bad braking surface and is wearing out then these will do the trick. Most brake pads I've owned in the past had bad wear both pad and rim. These pads have a more soft compound which won't do much damage to your rim. Overall, the best pads I've owned so far and if you don't mind the dull color then these are for you. (Although I wouldn't mind more colorways).
You only get 2 in the pack so you need to order 2 pairs if you want them for your entire bike. My front ones were just about shot and I heard good things about these. They were a little bigger than my normal set but they still fit in just fine. It took a little to get them to fit in correctly though. But now all is well. These pads are such an improvement over the stock ones I had. They are almost completely silent when your braking it's unbelievable. Haven't test in the rain but I am sure they will do tons better since they are made for rain. Couldn't be happier with them. The red color looks awesome with my bike too. - Kool Stop'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
